Produced on the occasion of the release of a map of a massive cosmic galactic collision 11 million light years from Earth
-- and ungovernable massive uprisings in the Mediterranean region on Earth, endangering the European and global economies

Context?

Is this the map of global civilizational collapse ? No it is not ! Although it might be.

This is the latest image of the light elliptical galaxy Centaurus A. It is 11 million light years from Earth, and is visible to amateur astronomers. The unprecedented detail comes via the Wide Field Camera 3 of the Hubble Space Telescope -- combining images from multiple wavelengths (see enlargement; courtesy R. O'Connell of the University of Virginia and the WFC3 Scientific Oversight Committee, within the framework of NAASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage -- STScI/AURA -- ESA/Hubble Collaboration). It was released on 16 June 2011). At the centre of the galaxy is a massive black hole -- weighing 55 million times that of the Earth's Sun. The ejected particles release intense bursts of radio waves and x-ray radiation. Centaurus A is going through a galaxy collision by devouring a spiral galaxy.

Curiously, whilst science can produce awe-inspiring images of conditions 11 million light years away, it seems to be totally incapable of applying resources such as to generate sophisticated images of the condition on Earth. There is no "Hubble Earth Telescope" -- with a "Wide Field Camera 3" -- capable of mapping the conditions undermining global governance capacity. Many satellites of course orbit the Earth, but they are only capable of focusing on tangibles -- such as the contents of the backyards of the homes of people -- not their degree of despair nor whether they rely on narcotic substances.

Science seemingly cannot detect and map intangible psychosocial factors which are inherent in the processes of global civilizational collapse.
There is no single image to portray this collapse.

Two-D projection: Exemplifying the nature of cognitive flatland

This is a map of global civilizational collapse ! Indicative configuration of factors undermining fruitful action

The above image follows from previous experiments in offering a single image, notably as presented in:

Missing from the image are dependency relationships between the
points to show how one condition aggravates another. However inclusion of such relationships is a simple educational exercise in which many would be happy to indulge -- especially to reflect their biases. A more complex variant of this exercise resulted in the massive online databases of the Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential (commentary). These take better account of the variety of perspectives but raise the question of how to cluster such a variety of contrary perspectives in a single map -- of which the above is but an indicative example (and necessarily provocative). Also missing from the above image is any attempt to cluster related points within it in order to offer further insight.

Some more complex possibilities have been explored with respect to that Encyclopedia initiative:

Three-D projection: Global configuration of incompatible uprightness

The above challenges can be usefully configured in three dimensions. This has the potential advantage of suggesting how some of them may be effectively "invisible" from the perspective of those associated with, or recognizing, others positioned elsewhere around the surface. Such a configuration is curiously appropriate to the principled "uprightness" with which individual challenges may be associated -- by the constituencies which "uphold" their inherent value.

The polyhedron used is the icosidodecahedron which has 30 vertices. The challenges above were each associated with a vertex. The images below result from various standard geometrical manipulations of that form -- designed to trigger imaginative reframing of the relationship between the challenges. Many other such manipulations are possible to highlight other relationships.

The images are each screen shots of what can be viewed (and enlarged) much more clearly in rotation -- using a standard software package: Stella. This is developed by Robert Webb (Stella: Polyhedron Navigator). It is with this application that the images were generated and by which they were modified interactively. The clarity of the text, corresponding to the challenges presented above on the two-dimensional map, is however secondary to the projections by which they might be configured.

Considerable thought has been given to the relevance of specific polyhedra to relationship issues. From the perspective of management cybernetics, Stafford Beer has made extensive use of the icosahedron as a means of configuring divergent perspectives (Beyond Dispute: the invention of team syntegrity, 1994). Unfortunately the use of his insights has been restricted under intellectual copyright relating to "syntegrity" and their development has been highly constrained.

Especially significant however is the continuing development of Beer's underlying systems concepts from a cybernetic perspective -- of which syntegrity is but a particular application. These developments are associated with the Viable Systems Model, namely a system organized in such a way as to meet the demands of surviving in a changing environment. A prime requirement for such adaptability being the recursive links within the system. This has been developed by Maurice Yolles, in particular for human agency, through an approach called Knowledge Cybernetics
(Organisations as Complex Systems: an introduction to knowledge cybernetics, 2006). This provides one of the few approaches that can enable a detailed geometric explanation of complex modes of being.

Henry Evering, founder of The Eidetic Academy and publisher of the Eidetic Reference Book, used polyhedra as a means of enabling "whole organization synergy". Also of particular relevance are the insights into threefold learning cycles of Arthur Young (The Geometry of Meaning, 1984).

A possible approach, using the above challenges, is to associate them -- as divisive operators -- with the edges of the a polyhedral framework (rather than with the vertices as was done in the images above). This is potentially significant since it is the divisiveness of these operators which "opposes" or "counteracts" any tendency to greater coherence. Thus, as with any architectural construction, their tendency to ensure "apartness" (in two-dimensions) can be used as a design feature to configure a more coherently integrative structure of higher dimensionality (in three-dimensions in this case). The possibility of employing omnipresent divisiveness as a structural element, rather than depending on achieving elusive consensus, has been tentatively explored elsewhere (Sustaining the Coherence of Dialogue through Apartness Patterns of systematic configuration of entities through hypertext, 1997; Social organization determined by incommunicability of insights, 1995).

Using the same Stella software package as for the images above, the "challenges" were simply mapped onto the edges of an icosahedron as shown below. As before the software was used to show various geometric manipulations (and augmentations) of the original icosahedron to elicit imaginative response to a more coherent approach to governance in the light of the set of challenges. Again, these images are simple screen shots of three-dimensional structures which can be variously rotated and from which video versions can be easily produced. The software notably enables "four-dimensional" variants, as in the last two images below.

The question raised by the enhanced versions of such structures is whether they are indicative of templates for higher orders of cognitive structure capable of integrating the global governance challenges more coherently. Especially relevant, potentially, is the interactive and dynamic function (necessarily absent from simple screen shots). In that sense such software is an extremely valuable learning tool.

Enabling comprehensible global configuration of concept maps

Representation of mind maps is typically easier to achieve in two dimensions. Whether on paper or on screen, this is the manner in which comprehension is most readily facilitated. Reproduction of images via printers or copying machines imposes this mode. The two-dimensional mind map above is therefore a better vehicle for communication, whatever its inadequacies. The question is whether the integrative understanding required to respond to the challenges of a collapsing global civilization is appropriately represented in this way -- hence the argument for the subsequent images above, best understood by their rotation. This awkwardness offers a useful metaphor for communication difficulties at this time -- neatly highlighted from a cognitive perspective by the arguments of mathematician Ron Atkin (Multidimensional Man; can man live in 3-dimensional space?, 1981) as summarized separately (Social organization determined by incommunicability of insights, 1995).

The above-mentioned work of Buckminster Fuller on the Dymaxion map suggests a valuable way of bridging from two dimension to three by "unfolding" and "refolding" the three dimensional structure as indicated in the following images

Icosahedron unfolded -- with lines representing the specific "Disintegrative Dynamics" of the original mind map

Two successive stages in folding the above map

Completion of folding of the map into global icosahedral form

The process highlights the question as to whether the "distintegrative dynamics" of the original map can be meaningfully and fruitfully "triangulated" to enable their global configuration -- corresponding to the globality of the challenges of governance to which a response is required (Triangulation of Incommensurable Concepts for Global Configuration, 2011). Through the process of "syntegration" (now subject to copyright restrictions), Stafford Beer (1994) addressed this issue through the dynamics of problem "jostling" -- whereby a group of people would effectively juggle the articulation of their concerns as an emergent organization (J. Truss, et al. The Coherent Architecture of Team Syntegrity: from small to mega forms). In practice the process of syntegration converges more readily on "syntegrity" to the extent that the range of issues is narrower -- less incommensurable or challenging -- and when those participating in the process exclude those associated with more controversial dynamics. More challenging versions are required.

Global configuration of insights from "flat-pack" conventional system mapping

There is widespread exploration of various forms of graphical representation of networks -- whether of people, groups, topics or other entities. Topic mapping refers to the graph structure
that goes beyond concept maps (nodes with labeled arcs for
relations). Topic maps make the labeled arcs into topics. Everything
is then understood to be a topic -- an object
that stands as a container for representations (key/value pairs). Topic modeling is then a type of statistical model for discovering the abstract "topics" that occur in a collection of documents. Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) is currently one of the most common, with various extensions.

The sophistication of such analyses suggests the possibility of adapting the approach to look at forms of "co-occurrence" which signify problematic dynamics and incommensurability, rather than a degree of commonality, compatibility and mutuality as is conventionally the preoccupation. Understood in binary terms -- as the oppositional "us and them" of psychosocial relations between A and B -- the question is whether these techniques then enable the detection of a third position (C) with which both A and B have distinct oppostional relations. Such analysis would constitute a form of "triangulation". The pattern could then be extended to detect D, with which A and C might both have distinct oppostional relations or incompatibility. In this way triangulated networks of "distintegrative dynamics", as depicted above, could be detected.

One of the distintegrative dynamics contributing to the collapse of global civilization is that significant insights are variously made subject to constraining intellectual copyright -- as with those of Stafford Beer and Buckminster Fuller (Future Coping Strategies: beyond the constraints of proprietary metaphors, 1992). Fortunately there are many polyhedra variously suitable for such mapping, although the unfortunate possibility of "polyhedral squatting" exists -- by analogy to cybersquatting. To what extent is survival of global civilization jeopardized by self-interested parties holding it to ransom through intellectual copyright?

The supermassive black hole, associated with the image of Centaurus A (reproduced above), drives powerful jets of particles to a speed close to that of light, releasing intense bursts of radio waves and x-ray radiation [more]. Ironically the visibility to humanity of a distant collision on a galactic scale highlights the contrasting invisibility of the collision with reality on the planetary scale of Earth -- in our own backyard. Hopefully the capacity to comprehend what is happening 11 million light years away will inform insight into global civilizational collapse. Are there fruitful parallels or metaphors worthy of consideration (Towards an Astrophysics of the Knowledge Universe? from astronautics to noonautics, 2006)?

It is appropriate to reinforce the point made above, that the thinking and resources behind the new radio telescopes are in no way comparable to those applied to exploring the intellectual "black hole" which would seem to characterize the inability of science to respond to the challenges of global governance at this time. Science would seem to have an ostrich-like preference for distant matters of no immediately apparent relevance. Is the real world -- as faced by governance and real people -- too complex for science? As with the religious worldview, has science sunk into a pattern of cultivating ever higher dimensionality -- ever more elusive to most -- in order to avoid confronting issues resulting from simplistic reliance on its methodology? Are both to be considered as exemplifying "transmundane" detachment, irrespective of the mundane consequences of the irresponsibility they engender? Might it even be said that -- as worldviews -- science and religion are in some kind of "morphic resonance", perhaps together with "democracy", now that it is effectively defined as an unquestionable "political religion"?

With the failure of unmapped climate change negotiations (significantly due to factors in the map above) and the impact of the recent nuclear disaster at Fukushima, science is now being asked to re-examine geo-engineering options (John Vidal, IPCC asks scientists to assess geo-engineering climate solutions, The Guardian, 15 June 2011). How is the enthusiastic complicity of science in such "easy" technical challenges to be compared to Law's "bullshit" -- given the demonstrably problematic track record of initiatives based on "proven" science (nuclear technology, introduction of species, groundnut scheme, large dams, deep-sea oil drilling, etc)? Is the attribution of "bullshit" to non-scientific perspectives a reflection of a massive "black hole" at the very core of the scientific approach -- a form of deep bullshit commensurate with that in governance (Viable Global Governance through Bullfighting: challenge of transcendence, 2009)?

Image of the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcanic eruption in Chile on 4 June 2011 Within days
the ash cloud reached cities all around the Southern hemisphere, forcing airlines to cancel hundreds of international and domestic flights and causing travel chaos

The image of a modern natural disaster is curiously reminiscent of that currently offered by science (at the top of this page) of the condition of Centaurus A 11 million years ago -- at what is effectively the Tortonian (late Miocene) stage in the geologic timescale of Earth. Modern mammal and bird families first became recognizable in that period, long before the emergence of humans -- for whom the insights of science into the governance of psychosocial systems in the present are now desperately needed.